EDIT: I have rewritten this chapter and I like it so much more now! It has triple the word count oops... enjoy!

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King Lasane was wearing a well tailored, maroon suit, with a cape that draped over his shoulders and followed him at every step. Ladies all around the hall were swooning at the sight of him, which made Helenia cringe. No doubt he was dashing, with his almond shaped maroon eyes, tall refined nose, wide lips and swept back dark hair, but no matter how handsome he was, his personality made her sick. To her surprise he looked almost proud of the happiness in front of him. If she didn't know better, she could have easily mistaken his expression for kindheartedness, but she could see that the false kindness was just slyness in disguise. She completely forgot that Aidan was next to her until he enclosed his hand around her arm and gripped hard.

"Ow!" She exclaimed, trying to stay as quiet as possible, "why did you do that?"

"You're staring." Aidan replied and he was right, she had been staring at the king. She inspected the situation and understood that, to stay safe, it would be best to not pay any more attention to the king than she already had. Drawing her attention back to the image in front of her- Aidan conversing with a guard, she never realised that he was as eye-catching as he was. His form was well built, muscles protruding from underneath the tight suit he wore underneath his sunset orange cape, the colour of his stone. His strength could come in use but she needed to be wary. However the attention from all of the maidens in the room he was about to receive was not something she wanted to be a part of. Snapping back to reality, she had to take one last glance at the king and at that exact moment he decided to turn around and their gaze locked. The king's stare was deadly and intimidating. Helenia had to quickly turn away before his glare shook her core. Big mistake.

*

The night passed as the hall was filled with voices and music. People around Helenia were dancing, their gowns twirling with every move mirroring the colours of their family's stone. No two gowns were of the same colour, each a different shade which appealed to Helenia. She loved this uniqueness in the Aestelle kingdom. The only person allowed to choose their colours was the King, so instead of sapphire blue he usually opted for maroon to match his piercing stare. The deep blue of Sapphire would have smoothened his edges and made him look less tenacious, which was the King's worst fear.

The elegance and grace of the dancers made it almost hypnotic. Helenia had never learned to dance properly, but she loved to practice in her room, humming and swaying to her own tunes. She observed the people who were eating, their bites tiny and posture like steel. The giggles that she heard were all contained and polite that they sounded fake. There were smiles splattered across every face in the hall. A beautiful lady and her lord started to dance in front of her and for a second she wished that she could join in with the couple that gracefully moved across the floor to the rhythm of the music. Many people would've dared to ask, but her position in this castle made her seem very unapproachable. Every so often she caught people stealing glances at her, some in awe, few in fear. But none had the courage to even speak a word. For this reason, she didn't have any friends, but for her they weren't necessary, she thought they were just liabilities. But she did wonder from time to time what was it like to have someone you could talk to about everything.

For the next hour, she sat in her seat, slightly dozing off, half listening to Aidan talk to his soldiers. Helenia was sure that she was going to drift off to sleep until the king rose from his throne and cleared his voice. In that instant, the crowd went dead silent, they still knew who was in charge. She could hear Aidan sigh and tense. Her own straight posture grew even taller, as she sucked her breath in and put on an unreadable mask.

"Dear people of this kingdom, I have invited you today to celebrate the start of a new era. Tomorrow the General, Aidan Rennowfield and my adviser, Helenia Surtas, will embark on a quest that will give us the power to rise as one and rule as one. We will become the most powerful kingdom and we will help change the whole of Faerline forever." With that the king seated himself on his throne once again and the crowd cheered and clapped at Helenia and Aidan. She felt a bubble of rage rising through her, fearing that it might explode, she smiled and returned to her previous position, needing to remove her thoughts from this dinner.

Now his intentions for them were obvious, his speech screamed 'if you don't do this right the whole kingdom will despise you'. Clever.

*

Helenia walked back to her room with Aidan by her side, he insisted on coming for an unknown reason and there was no use for arguing with a guy like him, even for Helenia, who at this hour, was exhausted. It was eerily quiet in the halls, the only sound came from Helenia's golden heels against the marble floor. There was a question on her mind that she had been wanting to ask him for a while, so she gathered the courage and stopped to ask.

"Rennowfield, what stone is your family's?"

The sudden sound of her voice stopped him in his tracks and he turned around to look at her perplexed.

"Why?"

"Their powers intrigue me so I wanted to know." Since she received hers at the age of thirteen, she had always been astounded by the huge variety of precious gemstones that each enhanced a trait and gave powers to their owners.

"Carnelian- the stone of confidence and physical energy." That explained a lot. Aidan walked with such assertiveness and the help in decision making made him a very efficient general. "You must have one. Since you don't know of your family that means that you got handed one." The fact that he was expressing interest in her and her past meant that maybe she could learn to trust him, one day.

"Fire agate is mine at least the King said that." King Lasane wears his Topaz pendant on show at all times. He puts emphasis on their importance which is why Helenia believed him when she received the precious stone that was supposedly hers. She spreads her gown wider as if he couldn't already see its colour.

"Stone of protection, serves you well." Aidan gave her what could have been a small smirk and continued walking. A small burst of colour painted Helenia's cheeks as she followed him. She quickly remembered that she needed to be wary of him, so she shook her head and put an expressionless facade. On her chest, the pendant radiated warmth. The rest of their way was silent both thinking of the conversation they just had, neglecting the journey they were about to make.

"Tomorrow, eight in the morning, courtyard in front of the west wing, there are a few things you need to learn before our journey. Go get rest." Aidan said before Helenia had the chance to shut her chamber door on him. She grunted before slamming the door in his face. Just before she let her weight pull her down onto the bed, she realised that she had a gown on and a full face of makeup. As if reading her thoughts, Moyra rushed into the room with towels.

"It's late, you need rest for tomorrow, here let me help you." Moyra said as she helped Helenia remove the excessive layers of beauty. When they were finished Helenia whispered thank you and fell deep into a comforting and unknown world. Her eyes closed with Moyra stroking her hair, Moyra's honey eyes provided motherly comfort.

*

Opening her eyes, Helenia felt like she could sleep for eternity. As she turned to see what time it was, a figure next to her door startled her.

"God!" She exclaimed, jumping out of her bed and grabbing a dagger she kept under her bed for bizarre situations. It was Aidan. Helenia wasn't surprised at the identity, but how did he get in?

"What time is it?" She asked, putting the dagger back. It was secured with pieces of fabric she cut from her own capes. Safety came before fashion. She also had more weapons secured tightly underneath her bed in case of emergencies, as she was alone, she could only rely on herself and her skills. Sometimes, when she was free she would practice by herself against the air. Those skills never came in handy until today. Almost.

"8:15." He responded picking at his nails with his own dagger. What a jerk.

"I'm not even late. Leave so I can get ready." She said rolling her eyes and crossing her hands. "Or you can just stand there and watch, your choice." Helenia noticed him staring at her.

"I'm waiting in front. Hurry up!" Aidan said, snapping back to reality.

"Yes General." The king's adviser teased as she looked him over. This time he ditched any sign of his sunset orange for a black long sleeve shirt and customised black pants. They were both of a thick, stretchy material that allowed him full movement. A dark cape hung across his shoulders and a hood covered his dark brown military cut hair. She expected her attire to be somewhat similar and she was glad that it would give her a full range of movement. She needed to be in control. A glimpse of silver caught her eye and she realised that he had holsters around his chest that supported his own daggers. Her heart rate jump as she wondered how many weapons would be on him.

On her chair at her desk crowded with books she noticed clothes that were laid out for her. 'Thank you Moyra' she mumbled to herself while putting on her attire. Stretchable trousers with places to hide her daggers and a tightly fitted long-sleeved turtleneck that was accompanied by a hooded cloak. It was all black as Aidan's, created for them to sink into the darkness. Her custom made knee length boots could easily fit another two daggers. Why would she need all of that protection, what were the woods like? How bad could they really be if she needed to carry six weapons with her.

*

Aidan led her to the royal stables in the courtyard, a place where she always imagined going, caring for and riding the horses. It was hard to believe that in a castle as big as Aestelle's, a person could feel so lonely. She traced the castle walls as she followed him, her fingertips feeling cool stone and smooth marble. Whenever she came across a gemstone, she would make sure to trace its shape, remembering their names and uses. For it being 8:30 the place was awfully deserted.

Her mind being too concentrated on the engravings in the walls and the different textures, Helenia didn't notice Aidan had stopped. She hit the brick wall that was his body and quickly recovered. She expected a scolding, but he only shot her a condescending look, careful to stay silent. Helenia's eyes traced a path from his face to where his arms were- holding a rusty, oddly-shaped key to the stone door in front of them. It's colour blended in with the wall around it, which made it easy to miss when in a rush. Judging by the lack of a crowd, not many people visited this hallway enough times to discover it. With a fluid twist of his wrist, Aidan unlocked and pushed the door with ease. Helenia rose to her tip toes and glanced over Aidan's shoulder. Beyond the stone was a poorly lit tunnel made by uneven stone which made it look older than the castle itself. Helenia was dying to ask where it led because from a first glimpse, it looked detached from the rest of the castle and soundproof. Helenia's mind started racing. What if the mission was just a disguise and the King ordered Aidan to get rid of her where no soul would know? But why would he go through all of that trouble just to mask her death, she wasn't that important to the King.

Lost in her own whirring thoughts, she didn't feel Aidan nudge her until she was already in the tunnel and Aidan had shut the stone door behind them. Unable to breathe normally, Helenia spun around to face him, prepared to attack. Sensing her unease, Aidan broke the dense silence.

"Stop looking so shaken, it's a quicker route to the stables so that no-one will notice us." He pushed past her and continued walking, his boots finally being heard against the stone and the puddles created from dewdrops. Helenia was finally able to breathe a bit more, but her insides remained tangled and she wondered how long would it be until she felt at ease again.

A steep stone staircase emerged in front of them, only stopping at two diagonal wooden doors. She guessed they led into the stables. Relief struck her as she commenced her ascend into light. With a single grunt, Aidan forced the doors open and rays of light assaulted her eyes. Covering them with her hand, she watched Aidan pull himself up. When he was out of her way, Helenia stuck her foot in a crack in the stone and heaved her body onto the damp grass. A hand wrapped around her wrist and pulled her further out of the hole in the ground. Taking one last glance, the darkness of the tunnel masked her vision, so she made her way past Aidan and through the back of the stables, eager to see the horses the castle took care of.

  A chorus of neighs greeted their presence. The sound found a way to put a smile on Helenia's face as she walked from horse to horse stroking their muzzles. A particular horse caught her attention, its pelt strawberry roan with a white stripe on its forehead. The horse bowed its head at the sight of Helenia and she instantly felt a connection.   

"This is the horse you'll be riding, Alfara. Her strides are long so she isn't too bouncy. Move so I can let her out." He approached Helenia and stood in her place. He entered her stable and placed her headgear and saddle. He fastened all of the straps in a few swift movements and led her out into the open. Helenia followed behind Aidan, staying away from the horse's rear, in awe of how careful he was with the horse.

"Stay here, I need to get Aries." All Helenia could manage was a nod as she adjusted the stirrups to match her long legs. He shortly returned with a dapple grey beauty, from whom strength and stamina irradiated from him. Aidan and Aries were horse and man alike, the way Aries dragged his hooves, to how he held his head, it mirrored the dominance and assertiveness of Aidan. It was obvious that Aidan spent a lot of time with his horse, training and grooming, just by the way Aidan handled the horse's tack.

"You've had him since you were a child, correct?" Helenia was intrigued at how invested Aidan looked in his horse.

"Aries was a present when I was eight, old enough to learn how to ride. Ever since then, this is the only horse I've ridden and trained." He smoothed down Aries's pelt and signaled for Helenia to follow him.

"So you're confident in taking him on a dangerous quest where he might not survive?" She dared to ask, biting her lip, regretting her decision.

"I trust him and I am certain that he won't get spooked or go off track, he is probably the best horse suited for this mission. Of course, I'd rather not take him, but he just increases our chance of return." What if she didn't want to return? Helenia was slightly shocked at how gently Aidan handled her remark, he even sounded melancholy. She didn't want to go down this chain of conversation further so she just nodded slightly, if only to herself. "Do I now need to teach you how to ride?"

"Haven't you read my file? I know how to ride and take care of a horse, I'll manage thank you." Helenia managed to present him with a weak smile, she was confused how Aidan didn't remember her walking one of the horses outside every day for five months. She used to take care of a horse right before it was put down, Khaki, a horse with a stunning golden pelt. As her only companion, Helenia suffered the loss of him quite badly, but only let tears go when alone and able to sort her emotions out. Apart from Khaki this was the longest period of time she spent with company and a part of her was longing for some fun.

"Okay that's good, now fighting, what do you know about that." He asked, clearly not caring. He led them both out behind the stables and tied a rope to their cheek straps that stopped them from being able to canter out into the distance. So much for Aidan trusting his horse completely. With a huff he turned to her, it was a mild day, perfect weather for the thickness of the stretchable material. Every so often Helenia could see her breath against the air.

"I'm pretty good with daggers. If you don't believe me I can demonstrate it." She asked, wanting so badly to show off what she'd learnt after years of practicing alone.

"No, I'm here to teach you what I can in an hour, not to watch you demonstrate whatever skills you have." Aidan dismissed her easily. "Can you use anything other than a dagger?"

"Give me anything sharp enough and I'll show you. I'll be careful not to hit any vital organs as I would like to be congratulated afterwards. And I don't like too much blood." Helenia laughed at how he underestimated her, but was also silently thankful, he wouldn't put up a great fight against her.

"Hand to hand combat?" His voice emotionless.

"Couldn't practice with the air, so no." She said frowning. Helenia could usually mess with anyone's mind if she tried but she couldn't with his; it didn't make sense. Aidan didn't reply with words, but he grabbed her wrist and guided her to another staircase this time more refined and made of wood. He motioned for her to go down, so she did as was told. A creak was heard under her every step as she reached yet another door, this time wooden. She didn't waste time in waiting for Aidan as she kicked the door open. It collapsed under her foot to reveal an armory, filled up to its neck with weapons of all sorts: daggers of every shape, sword of different metals, bows and arrows from different materials, and in the middle- a sparring square. The noiseless room served as a useful area to practice without distractions. A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead, signifying how apprehensive and reluctant she was about the situation she was in. Helenia could feel her hand tremble so she dug her fingernails into her palms. Her body was a coward and let her heart convince it to anticipate the grimly consequences; she couldn't let it convince Aidan too. Summoning all of her will-power, Helenia uncurled her now knuckle-white fists and untied her hooded cloak, dropping it beside her. Making sure to accentuate each action, letting them drip with fortitude, she stepped into the square signaling the start of training. Her brows arched, eyes merely slits, back rigid, Helenia followed Aidan's footsteps as he got into position.

"Don't pounce I'm not going to treat this as a real spar, you're no use if you're a ragged doll by the end of this so I'll just show you the basic moves. In times of danger, most can usually find a way to defend themselves." This diffused the ever-growing bubble of willpower in Helenia's chest. The sight of Aidan dropping his cloak to the ground made Helenia more ready and determined to prove to Aidan that she wasn't some fragile girl who didn't know the first thing about surviving under pressure.

"Okay, show me what I need to know."

"First comes the element of surprise. Always remember to do what your opponent expects the least. Look for the weak spot and attack there, catch them off guard." Aidan brought his hands to his face blocking her access to his vulnerable throat. Her eyes trailed his figure, his lower abdomen, weak and accessible. She gathered her strength in her fists and tried to convincingly hit his chest while she spun and kicked with all her might in hopes to catch him off guard.

"Shit kicking your abdomen is like kicking a brick." She managed to kick him and she saw his face crumple for a second. With a kick like that to such a assailable part of the body, she surely would have made him stumble back. In turn she received a short laugh.

"Nice technique, you need a bit more power in your kicks but not so bad for a beginner. Don't look so aghast, if you hit anyone else they surely would've lost the ability to breathe for a while which would have made it easier for you to quickly get them on the ground." A smirk was splattered on his face and Helenia would have enjoyed nothing more than having the opportunity to wipe it off, but since he was immune to any sort of attack, she wouldn't have the ability to.

"Curse your carnelian!"

  "Fire agate is a protective stones which means your defense is stronger, they also attract strength,increase stamina and should increase confidence. You will have stamina and a fair amount of strength, don't doubt yourself." Aidan made it sound as if Helenia's stone held more power than she initially thought. Trying to draw some strength, Helenia held her pendant tight in her hand and closed her eyes, just long enough to calm her breath. As she opened her eyes, Helenia could see Aidan clutching his stone and when she looked up at his eyes, his usual hazel colour flashed bronze, almost reflecting the colour of his stone. She wondered if hers could do that, if she could draw that much energy from a single rock that rested on her chest.  

"Try again this time I'll try to attack. Let's see your defenses." This time Helenia felt more prepared, and the thoughts that previously clouded her mind were now cleared away, leaving every part of her brain able to concentrate on what was in front of her. The silence was heavy and Helenia longed to grab one of the weapons from the nearest shelf. Without giving herself another thought she dropped to the floor, sticking her leg out with incredible speed. It caused Aidan to trip, but he rolled onto the ground and regained his balance almost immediately. She tried to punch but he grabbed her wrist and flung her onto her back. Cursing at the pain shooting up her spine, Helenia kicked her legs up kicking him between the legs which caused him to stumble forward. She shot up and jumped onto him grabbing his head between her two hands. One simple twist and she could break his neck. But he was smarter. His arms flew to hers as he bent forward leaving Helenia falling to the floor. The impact of her head against the wooden floor made a thumping sound resound in the room. The back of her head throbbed and she felt slightly dizzy, but nowhere near as bad as what could've happened if she didn't have her fire agate. Helenia imagined herself lying on the wooden flooring, blood pooling around her head, she shuddered at the thought and rose, careful not to shake anything up in her head.

"Stick more to defense.That's where your stone would come in and you'd get hurt less." Aidan looked as if he never threw a punch. She guessed he'd done this before a million times, and won.

"I'm actually not out of breath." Helenia managed to say through her smile, completely forgetting about her pounding head, the pain was slowly diminishing. She received a smile in return. "Are we done here? You know I haven't had any breakfast." She hoped that she could go back and spend a few minutes alone to think and grab a bit to fill her now wailing stomach.

"Well you didn't throw anything up, so I guess that answers your question. I'll ask them to pack something since we have to go." He added before ascending the stairs back into fresh air. "Meet me here in a half hour. Grab some weapons for yourself, I packed some more and go refresh a bit. Don't be late."

She was allowed to choose anything from this room filled with the most wanted toys. A sly grin crept up on her face as her eyes devoured her surroundings. Since she always favoured daggers, she ran straight to them. One that particularly caught her eye was a dagger of middle length, which had engravings all along the blade. Picking it up, she relished on how well it sat in her hand. She tried to cut the air and was surprised how swift her movements were with it. Gathering a few more daggers that she could fit in her gear, she spared a few moments to look at the double swords, crossbows and maces. She wished she could bring them all but Aidan did mention he collected some beforehand.

Leaving the armory behind, there were thirty minutes before Helenia's life changed and her daily routine evaporated into thin air.

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Are you excited for their journey? I know I am ;)

-S